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Synonyms

sweet tooth

American  

noun

  1. a liking or craving for candy and other sweets.

sweet tooth British  

noun

  1. a strong liking for sweet foods

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
sweet tooth Idioms  

  1. A love for sugary foods, as in You can always please Nell with cake or ice cream; she has a big sweet tooth. This expression dates from the late 1300s, although it then referred not only to sweets but other delicacies as well.

Etymology

Origin of sweet tooth

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"They are too sweet for me," Alina says, "and I have a sweet tooth."

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

It’s just the right level of sweetness and it doesn’t assault your sweet tooth.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

A couple has their three-year-old daughter's sweet tooth to thank for winning £524,000 in the EuroMillions.

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2025

My grandmother supplied my sweet tooth with cookies and chocolate at every visit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

It doesn’t care whether someone’s a guerrilla or a gorilla, lives in a desert or a dessert, has a sweet tooth or a suite tooth.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.